Holy Zucchini!!!

Sorry, I couldn't decide on a picture so I put them all on! How's that for giant zucchini? I tried to weigh the big one on my scale but it only goes up to 5lbs 4oz...I honestly did not know how much zucchini you could get from only 4 plants. Amazing! So, Dan was asking for bread of course (heaven forbid you just eat it the plain healthy way!) so I started hunting for a whole wheat healthier version and I found a great one that I modified. It's below, with pics! Anyway, if you have zucchini coming out of your ears like I do, or really like zucchini bread and want some all year, you can shred and freeze it. I slice it lengthwise so it will fit in my food processor and shred it that way. Then put it all in a strainer over a bowl and let it drain, pushing down occasionally, until it stops dripping. Use the liquid on your plants, I did and it seems to have worked wonders. Then put the amount your recipe calls for into a freezer bag, squeeze out all of the air, and freeze (don't forget to buy quality freezer bags so you can wash and reuse them!) Everything I found online about freezing this way said to use the liquid that is left in the bag but I didn't. I put the shreds in first and my batter looked really great and did not need the extra liquid. If you use a different recipe see what works for you. By the way, those two giant zucchini yielded 17 1/2 cups shredded!

Here's my zucchini bread recipe. I was inspired by this recipe and of course I had to make changes...I can't leave anything alone!

Mix 3 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1/4cup + 2 Tablespoons oil (I used smart balance), 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup!), 1/4 cup honey, & 2 Tablespoons lemon juice.

In a separate bowl mix 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Gently combine with wet ingredients.

Fold in 3 cups packed, shredded zucchini.

Pour into two greased bread pans. I like the smaller glass ones. I think they are 4? by 8? something. 325 for about 50 minutes. YUM!

Skirtie!

I finished this soaker awhile ago but am finally getting it posted. I think it turned out really cute and would be even cuter if it wasn't huge! I shrunk it a little but it's still too big and next summer she won't need it so I will have to pass it on. It turned out huge because I didn't check my gauge good enough I guess. The ruffle is actually a technique that can be applied to any pattern, but there is also a good pattern with it. You can find it at http://badumbums.com/?tag=soaker . I did a different waistband, kind of like the curly purly but not. I also am not a fan of drawstrings for her because she unties them so I threaded 4 rows of 1/8" elastic through the ribbing. You can see the technique here only this was different elastic and because it was wider had to be sewn together at the ends instead of tied.

Sleeping through the night

I apologize in advance for the amount of exclamation!

It finally happened! I slept through the night! For probably the first time in over 2 years I slept continuously from 1am to 7:30! There's been a lot of talk about sleep around here. Not just in our house but also in our neighborhood. A neighbor and her husband separately on the same day were both telling me about the "problems" they've been having with their not quite 1 year old sleeping through the night. Dan has also been a little upset when he comes home in the middle of the night from work and there's no room in the bed. And a friend was telling me about people bothering her about where her beautiful daughter is sleeping.

It always upsets me and gets me going when people ask the age old question, "Is she sleeping through the night yet?" I always just say "Nope," trying not to get to excited about it. It is usually followed by, "why do you think she still wakes up?" Deep breath, stay calm... "I don't know." And that is usually the end of it. I really try not to get into it with people, especially people who don't have kids so it doesn't really matter. But seriously, who as a mother, or even a father, with a baby is not asked this at every family event at least by one person? I think it is so crazy that people are so worried about where, when, and how much your child is sleeping but don't worry about what they are eating (well, unless you count the people that ask you if you are still breastfeeding...way to go if your are BTW!), learning, or anything else that's really important.

Your child not sleeping through the night is a problem when you decide to make it a problem. Like most things, it's not a problem if it doesn't bother you. In the case of the neighbors, they both work outside the home. To me they both said the almost exact same thing, "We are tired and at our wits end!" When I talked to mom she was on her way to find a video monitor so she could watch and see if she really needed to go in there, and I saw dad at the grocery store saying he was so tired he couldn't even function. They're trying to get her to sleep in her bed but even before they go to bed she wakes up and is up again shortly after they put her back. Now this time, still trying not to get too opinionated and worked up, actually asked dad, "Where does she sleep, with you?" "No, I have been so against that, but I'm tempted" Seriously trying to hold it back here... Of course it is disruptive and of course you are tired! You are completely waking up every time she gets up, walking down the hallway, rocking her back to sleep for 15 minutes, walking back down the hallway, and then trying to get back to sleep! And it is taking longer for her to get back to sleep because had to completely wake up to get you in there! And because she is waking up so completely her little body is probably getting used to getting up at certain times. Mackenzie and I always wake up around 3 or 3:30. I believe it's because Dan was on that shift for so long and he always came home and woke us up. Instead of telling him that I just told him about attaching our crib to our bed. Wuss!

Anyway, blah blah blah! The point is, people make their own problems. Mackenzie not sleeping through the night wasn't a super huge deal because she was in bed with us. If she woke up I nursed her back to sleep, and now that she has weaned if she wakes up she just wants to snuggle. We have also pretty much fixed the space problem because I attached her crib to our bed with the side off so she is still in our bed but has her own space. She's finally using that crib! Dan is the one who keeps me awake now with his snorting and wiggling and coming home who knows when. I have slept on the couch the last two nights because of him! Plus he likes it when I'm not there because then she snuggles with him instead of me.

Why do babies wake up so much at night? Because they have needs! They are hungry, scared, cold, hot, uncomfortable, lonely, in pain from teething, etc! Your baby needs you! Do you sleep through the night? I didn't even before I had her. I always wake up for stuff like I have to use the toilet, I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, or I just can't get an idea out of my head. They are tiny and helpless and even Mackenzie who is almost 2 and a big girl to us is still completely helpless. They can't survive without you. If people get me really worked up about co sleeping and other bedtime things I tell them, "When I decided to be a parent I didn't do it under the pretense that it would be a 12 hour a day job. A parent needs to parent 24 hours a day." Babies are not hobbies or toys that we can play with when we want or when it's convenient.

A friend of mine always has great quotes and things on her blog. One was "Stand up for your baby's rights, he is depending on you to look out for him." Whatever you do, do whatever is best for you and your child and don't worry about what other people say. Use common sense and intuition and back it up with a little Dr. Sears if you have to. And when people ask you why your baby isn't sleeping through the night answer them with "I'm sure they will when they outgrow the need to wake up," or "When she's ready she will."

June '09

At the Cabin

Bath time in the sink!
Beach baby
Apparently pine cones aren't allowed in the yard
Have a seat and relax!

Baby birds in the porch
Couch potatoes!

At Home

Painting!

Jumping!

Don't get wet!

Silly!

A friend sent me this link. What will they come up with next?
http://presurfer.blogspot.com/2009/07/evian-roller-babies.html#links

Eat Your Peas!!! Recipe: Chicken & Snow Peas

My mom let me plant in her garden this year. As you can see from the above pictures, Mackenzie was very involved in her first garden. We put in carrots, snow and shelling peas, green and yellow bush beans, broccoli, butternut squash, zucchini, green onions, and bell peppers! Look at it now!

We planted towards the end of May and now the snow peas are ready! So what did I do with them? A lot of them were eaten while they were being picked! Last night for dinner I took some of them and just sauteed them with sun dried tomato & basil olive oil as a side to chicken. And, I made this the other night:

I used to get this all the time at a Chinese restaurant that has been closed for awhile. Mine was a little different than theirs but it was really good. I only had the chicken and the peas on hand but next time I want to add some other things. Water chestnuts or cashews would be good additions. Anyway, here's what I did. As with any recipe please read through the whole thing before starting. I also like to cut and mix whatever I can before I start cooking, especially with a stir fry when everything is cooking so fast.

• In a hot wok or other large pan with 1-2 tablespoons oil cook 1 to 1.5 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces. You could also use thighs or whatever. Remove from pan and set aside, try to leave any remaining liquid and oil in the pan.
• Add 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon ginger (I used the kind in the tube but you can just grate or chop fresh), and 2-3 cups fresh snow peas to the wok. Saute for a minute or two, just until peas are bright green and everything smells nice.
• For the sauce, mix up 1.5 cups chicken stock or broth, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Add the chicken back to the pan and pour sauce over. Simmer until sauce is thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Serve over rice or noodles. I did steamed brown rice.

First ice cream cone alone...on the couch...